1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a pet toy simulating the natural prey of a target pet and, more specifically, to an improved mouse-like pet toy comprising a motion assembly that imparts a twitching or similar jittery movement that stimulate a greater interaction by cats.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many different devices have been developed to assist pet owners in keeping their pets happy and healthy. Such devices can be seen in numerous pet stores and catalogs. Different types of balls, bones and other such toys can be purchased by the owner to be used by their pets for exercise and enjoyment. However, pets tend to having limited interest in stagnant devices due to lack of visual stimulation and thus, the pets do not benefit from exercise and enjoyment from such devices when they are not used by the pets.
Domestic cats make roving searches of their indoor environments in search of prey. There are many toys known in the art to encourage this natural, instinctive behavior. Other toys aim to also stimulate a cat's pouncing abilities as a form of playful interaction between the cat and a toy. However, domestic cats are specialized hunters whose techniques require crypticity for success. Most domestic animals depend on both acoustic and visual cues to hunt prey; however, an importance of acoustic cues is especially emphasized for cats because they possess better acoustic discrimination abilities than dogs. Cats respond physiologically to higher-pitched sounds; scratches, noises and high-pitched mouse calls act upon an innate releasing mechanism which directs a cat's attention to a source of the sound. It isn't until after the cat's attention is gained when a moving source can elicit any pouncing movement by the cat.
Because mice and birds are common prey hunted by cats, many of these toys take a form that resembles one of these natural preys. U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,053, to the present inventor, is such a toy, wherein a simulated, cloth mouse comprises a sound chip that emits a prerecorded sound in response to its engagement. Similar toys exist to resemble birds.
The present invention is a pet toy that comprises a means to replicate the vocalizations studied in mice, in addition to a naturally appearing motion as the bases for the toy claimed herein.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, of considerable relevance is U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,053, issued on Apr. 16, 2002 to the present inventor. While a to sound simulated mouse toy having a prerecorded sound chip therein is incorporated into this invention in combination, other elements are different enough as to make the combination distinguished over the inventors' own prior art.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method of providing both visual and sound stimulation to attract the interest of nocturnal pets.